Friday, June 29, 2007


Researching for Retirement



Thursday 3am Dave wakes me up. He is thinking (it's the meds) about our move. "We are wasting time sitting here watching the birds when we could be visiting the areas we are thinking about buying."

O my.

I was just getting outta the habit of online house looking on a daily basis and trying to live in the now. I was liking it. I can't remember a time when I did so little and felt such peace and tranquility. (I almost wrote tran-quilty.)


We discussed going on another house scouting trip and made the decision to leave on Sunday (maybe). Then we went back to sleep. I had to get my mind back into future mode and devise a plan. When I got up again I began to save the properties we might visit with several criteria in mind.

Distinguishing features must include (not necessarily in this order)
1. great land, at least an acre with woods
2. great house, with low maintenance
3. a water feature of some kind, pool, hot tub, koi pond, river/lake/creek
4. a great kitchen
5. a place for a garden, preferably one that is already established
6. a price at $250K or less


You might think this an impossible task but noooooo! I have around 50 saved that have most or all of these attributes, making it really interesting and tricky to choose.

For example:
This house in South Pittsburg TN has 5.28 acres of wooded land on a hill with a view AND

a matching little house out back which would be perfect for my studio, no? Pretty brand new and with a great kitchen, and hardwood floors throughout. $249K and it has a red metal roof! What's not to love?

But then there is this brand new one in Whitwell TN
A dream kitchen with this mountain view from the front porch. 5 acres for $217,900But what about that water feature I mentioned?

This house has the best already established garden with a koi pond and waterfall and a greenhouse!!! In Cleveland TN for $249,900, loaded with character and an in town location, ready to move into and again, watch the birds. But this Hixson TN koi pond also boasts a hot tub on the 2 acres of wooded property...

with this view
for only $169,900. Confused yet? I certainly am. But wait, that's not all!

Another in Trenton GA: 2.43 acres, great home for $175K, and this chicken house comes with it.

Did I even know I wanted a chicken house until I saw this one? Look at those great chickens!

Just wait til Popeye meets them. But maybe a less grand pool and a smaller yard would be smarter.

Rock Springs GA, 2.53 acres is not exactly smaller, but the price is, at $169,900. No chickens.This lakeside home in Lafayette GA comes with 3 acres and... a pool for $219,900.

But do you decide to buy the pool first or the house?

The house and kitchen with this pool is super, $179K Dunlap TN, 3 acres.

But this Dunlap TN one is closer to Chattanooga, has a super interior, a hot tub, bubble tub, great kitchen, and 1.90 acres for $225K.

I am not even mentioning the homes in the Rome GA environs or Athens GA that await us.

Of course it is all just talk until the house sells, and that could be a long long long time.

18 comments:

  1. I know how house hunting takes over your life, but I adore seeing what you find. It's sort of house porn (grin). I think OOO we could have that or that or that.
    Have you sold your own house then?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Well, I guess it's the feeling of doing something rather than doing nothing that Dave is craving. But it is confusing. All these look so good. Real good. I want every one of them. Now. Please?

    ReplyDelete
  3. they look great... look at that blue water! My big worry is the yard after a couple of years.... a garden yes, but all that acreage?

    ReplyDelete
  4. I can't get over how cheap your houses are for such a lot of house and land! My house is minute with no land, no pool and a minute kitchen but is saleable at £200k ($400k approx). Time to emigrate?

    ReplyDelete
  5. I don't mean to presume; however, couldn't you move before you sell your home? Your lovely home will sell this year and in the meantime, you could be living in your dream home. Maybe you could rent out your home to a trusted friend or a friend of a friend? Just trying to think of a way to make this happen sooner for your and your lovely man. You have found some lovely properties!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I say - buy the town (or two) first, then find a house - you guys should just go for a week or 2 look at the towns then find a realtor to take you around. Thats what we did when we relocated - enjoy the hunt - OH, I love the one w/greenhouse in the garden - just BEAUTIFUL!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. After weeks of house hunting in Chicago, your post is making me ill. (You know what I'm talking about...$$$)
    I appreciate your reluctance to start the search again after settling into a relaxing summer routine. It takes the starch out of you, doesn't it?

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous11:17 AM

    Jan,
    If you are looking for a house in Chicago I think you should look at Melody's.
    It's in perfect condition and the price is very good.
    Great suburban location.
    Get there before someone else does or you will be kicking yourself.
    KS

    ReplyDelete
  9. Maybe you need a new agent.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I live in the wrong part of the country. This is killing me. We have been house-hunting in Portland. Dumps start at $250K. What you are looking at here is the $500K+ neighborhood in our locale.

    Good luck. I'm envious. You will find something super.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous12:52 PM

    I live 30 miles from Rome in Alabama, and my sister lives in Watkinsville near Athens-there are more artists there. Both areas are beautiful. I went househunting with my other sister in the Rome area in the spring. DH said the taxes are lower in AL than GA.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous1:23 PM

    The price is low for a reason - few wish to live there.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I've been doing the web-search for a retirement home, too. I find the search fascinating + fun - at first. Then it gradually becomes quite tedious as I check out all the details of the area, etc. My husband will be retiring within the year, but he's not really ready to think about relocating. But it's past time to be thinking about it, talking it through, and exploring the options...

    Here in central NJ, the housing prices are dreadfully high. The houses you've shown us all would be near a million or so - depending upon exactly which town they were in. Even "rural" NJ (an oxymoron?) is pricey so we'll have to be relocating.

    I wish you well and commiserate with you through the process!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Melody, what are you using to search? Every search I'm looking at asks what city I want to start at. I kind of want to have fun looking at the details and not where.

    As reluctant as you may be to search I love seeing what you find. It will be years and years before we move again but daydreaming is good!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Jill I am using the Chattanooga MLS site from Mountain City Realtors, or Lois Killebrew.

    http://www.mlsarealistings.com/(z3mx1m45iaa5mj45do5qqh55)/default.aspx

    ReplyDelete
  16. Anonymous9:16 PM

    check out realator.com no log in needed and it posts all the mls listings.

    ReplyDelete
  17. For fun, see what you would get in the UK for $250,000, put in £125,000 in the search box.
    The answer is not a lot, particularly in the south or in more popular places.
    http://www.rightmove.co.uk/
    Sally
    On the other hand what we pay in housing might be offset by having our health services paid for?

    ReplyDelete
  18. Just wanted to say I'm so inspired by your quilts! Fun to follow your house hunting/relocation adventure! We're thinking of one of our own too...from South Dakota to Florida....scary thought though, so we'll see how far along the thought process we get! Good luck!

    ReplyDelete

Hello,
So nice of you to drop by. I love your comments, and if you would really like a reply, please email me at fibermania at g mail dot com